


Everything but Slytherin?

by shushumimi123



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gryffindor, Hogswarts, Hufflepuff, Identity Issues, M/M, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Tiny Mention of Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-09 22:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13491459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shushumimi123/pseuds/shushumimi123
Summary: When Scorpius has traits that belong in any house, does that leave any room to be a Slytherin?





	Everything but Slytherin?

"This is getting everywhere," Albus groaned as he pulled the knife away from their third shrivelfig after the juices started squirting once again. "This is so gross. And impossible."

Scorpius stood beside Albus, gently rubbing his boyfriend's/ best friend's back while watching him try his hardest to cut them open, only to have all the contents squirt out on the bench. Making a mess and getting all over them and their stuff.

Raw shrivelfig juice was an ingredient that they'd need for next potions class, and although a ripe shrivelfig was much more convenient to squeeze, the almost goo-like consistency of a raw one is what they needed. And everyone knows a raw shrivelfig tends to be...explosive.

As Scorpius looked around, he noticed that everyone was struggling. Even Professor Longbottom, who was helping a pair in the front and attempting, very slowly to nip a tiny hole. 

The sight made Scorpius sigh. "This is total birdbrains," he mumbled and turned to Albus, who was now sitting on his stool and trying to wipe some of the goo off his tie with a cloth. And that's when it hit him. A plan.

"Give me a minute," Scorpius said and walked away from Albus before he could say anything. Once Scorpius had his mind set on a plan, he had to complete it. Whether it ended up being a flop, he had to try at least.

He walked past the teacher's desk and some students by the plants to get their third or forth shrivelfig as he made his way into the storage closest. And once he was inside, he started to look around. 

"It's gotta be here. I remember seeing it," Scorpius mumbled to himself as he pushed aside some extra gardening tools and pulled a box towards him.

"Aha!" Scorpius grinned and grabbed the bundle cheesecloth that was hiding under some towels. He started pulling out a bunch before tearing it off and headed back out into the greenhouse. 

He walked towards Albus with a bright smile and a determined flame in his eyes. This just had to work. 

He didn't even notice how most people had now paused their work to watch what one Earth the Slytherin was up to.

"Can you pass that fig," Scorpius asked Albus, gesturing to their last untouched shrivelfig. 

Albus quickly handed it to him, bearing a broad smile as he just rested his elbow on the table, watching him get to work. 

Scorpius took the fruit and with his free hand, folded the cloth four times over before placing the fig in the middle. He then wrapped it up and twisted it until it was firmly trapped inside. Scorpius held the little pouch over the bowl and started to fondle the shrivelfig, trying to pop it gently. 

Scorpius only broke his concentration when Albus snickered and nudged his side. "Hey, looks like you've learned something from last night," he said and winked up at the blond.

Scorpius looked down at Albus before glancing at his hands. Yes, it did indeed look like he was fondling bollocks. But, he could rather get embarrassed and stop his plan, or he could...you know, not care. 

"No," Scorpius said quickly and turned back to focus on his hands, focusing on shifting the thinnest layer of the peel to face the bottom. Though, he did smile for a second when he heard Albus quickly apologize and mumble something about how hot he looked.

It took a couple more minutes before Scorpius suddenly felt the pressure burst and he let out a relieved sigh. He managed to pop one hole at the bottom, and the fragrant, purple juice started dripping through the cloth and into their bowl. Perfectly controlled with no mess.

He dragged his hand from the top of the cloth to the bottom, squeezing out all the juice he could, getting just the right amount of their potion.

As he set the cloth down, Scorpius jumped and when everyone started to applaud. He smiled politely as Professor Longbottom walked over. "Excellent, Mr. Malfoy. Well done. Ten points to Slytherin," he announced, and their Slytherin classmates clapped harder before everyone hurried to the storage room to copy him.

Professor Longbottom peered into the bowl and let out a contented hum. "Brillant, Mr. Malfoy. I must say, you would've made an excellent Ravenclaw. The brains on you. Cheesecloth, who would've thought," he said with his hands on his hips and chuckled softly. 

"Thank you, Sir," he said softly, and when Longbottom walked away, Scorpius let out a soft sigh. Yup. He'd fit quite nicely as one of those Intelligent and creative Ravenclaws...

\---

"Look, Rose. Clearly, they're not getting it right. I mean, look," Scorpius whispered and gestured with his hand towards the Hippogriff and how he was practically growling at one of their classmates to get away. Even Hagrid was now stepping in and petting the disgruntled creature.

Rose scrunched up her nose and gestured to the scene too. "What do you mean? He's doing everything Hagrid told us to do. We all did. I don't know, maybe Stormswift isn't feeling it. Plus, Barnes smells like old socks," she added and looked over to Albus, expecting for backup but only met with her cousin quickly turning away. He was not going to get in this. Not one bit.

Scorpius wrapped his arm around Albus and shook his head at her. "You're just sour because he didn't like you either," he bit back with a slanted smile. Though it was rude, it had to be said. To prove his point, of course.

"Oh please, like you can do any better," she scoffed.

"Actually, I can," Scorpius said softly. "In fact, I very much think that Stormswift will let me ride him."

Rose raised her eyebrows at him and smirked. "Well good luck with that. I'll give you five galleons if you do. And if you don't, you owe me ten,"

"Make it twenty galleons and a free Butterbeer next Hogsmeade, and you've got a deal."

"Deal,"

The two shook hands, and Scorpius turned away, observing Stormswift. It was just a friendly bet after all. And even friendlier since he knew he was going to win.

"Mr. Malfoy, yer' up next," Hagrid called out, and Scorpius made his way through the crowd towards the creature.

Scorpius knew this lesson would be tough. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had theirs yesterday, and Scorpius couldn't help but listen in and take some time out of last nights study session to do some extensive research on Hippogriffs. 

Plus, he had been watching his classmates this entire lesson. They all did something wrong one way or the other. Most kept eye contact with the Hippogriff. Others didn't bow low enough. And a few got too confident and started to move towards it when Stormswift wasn't ready.

But, it wasn't all their faults. Stormswift seemed different from the other Hippogriffs that Hogwarts had. Scorpius had known this for a while now. He was the proudest of them all. He liked to show off and always asked Hagrid for attention the most out of them all. Scorpius concluded that Stormswift was just a spoiled baby. And to get on his good side, he was going to give him exactly what he wants. 

"Now, Scorpius. If he starts huffin', don't yer' worry. Just back away slowly and I'll handle him," Hagrid said softly, now taking more precaution since he too has picked up on Stormswift's attitude.

"Okay, Professor," Scorpius replied. He then took a deep breath and looked at Stormswift with pleading eyes. Proving to the animal that he was submitting. But the eye contact was just for a moment, and Scorpius promptly gazed down, hanging his head.

He slowly walked over. And kept walking. He walked past the point where Hagrid told everyone to stop and heard Hagrid take a breath in to tell him just that. 

However, before anything could be said, Scorpius stopped and slowly bent down. First getting on one knee and then the other and as confused murmurs, Scorpius leaned forward and rested his forehead against the dirt with his hands by his head. Bowing as low as he could possibly go.

Scorpius gulped when he didn't hear anything for a moment, feeling as though he did something wrong and now just made an utter fool of himself. 

But, the silence broke with the sound of rustling feathers and steps, the feet stopping right in front of him. And Scorpius could feel Stormswift block the sun that was on him as he bent down and nudged his beak against Scorpius' shoulder.

Scorpius let out a sigh of relief and carefully reached up to pet him. And when the creature didn't pull back and instead leaned into it, Scorpius slowly sat up, happy ruffling his feathers, hearing the crowd behind him whispering in awe. 

"Hey, Stormswift. Sorry about my mates. They just don't know how to treat you right," he whispered, laughing softly under his breath as Stormswift seemed to huff in agreement. "Why don't we go for a quick fly around and show these suckers what they're missing. Eh, doesn't that sound like fun?"

Stormswift squeaked and knelt down, and Scorpius jumped to his feet and climbed on his back, and everyone gasped.

"Scorpius, what're yer doin'," Hagrid called out, but Scorpius never heard the end of his question before Stormswift spread his wings and with one swift move, threw them both in the air.

Scorpius scream melted into laughter as he held onto the animal. "Sorry, Professor. I thought I'd take Stormswift out for a little fly. This grumpy bloke needs some fun," he yelled out as they climbed higher. 

He waved at the group, pointing to Albus and giving him a wink before looking at Rose. "You owe me," he yelled out. 

Scorpius thought he heard Rose swear, but he didn't care because Stormswift flew off and Scorpius was riding that high of being above the trees and being right.

It was a solid twenty minutes of flying before Scorpius managed to convince him to land back down in front of Hagrid's hut, where his professor was waiting for them.

When they landed, and Scorpius saw the look on Hagrid's face, and his stomach churned. He was undoubtedly in trouble. 

He got off the Hippogriff and watched Hagrid walk over. "I'm sorry, Professor. Rose dared me to ride him, so I had to. And Stormswift was so fussy, I thought a good fly might perk him up. And it did. See," he said and turned to the Hippogriff, who was now chirping happily and nudging Hagrid.

Scorpius could tell Hagrid wanted to be mad, but how could he when Stormswift had finally stopped acting like an angsty teen. He looked back over at Scorpius and chuckled. "Alright, I'll let yer' off the hook. But no more tricks like that, yer' hear. If yer' do, I'mma talk to the Sorting Hat and ask why it didn't put yer' with the other Gryffindors," he said and bellowed out a laugh.

Scorpius laughed along and shrugged. "It'd probably just give you a riddle that doesn't make any sense if we're honest."

"Probably right about that, Mr. Malfoy. Anyway, off yer' go. Your friends are waiting for you by the door. Don't wanna be missing lunch now," he said. 

Scorpius nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Professor. Bye, Stormswift," he spoke and patted the creature once more before turning back to make his way up to the castle, where he saw Albus and Rose waiting for him.

It wouldn't be the first time Scorpius was told he could be a Gryffindor. Because some people just seemed to somehow see him as someone so brave and daring...

\----

"Al, look," Scorpius whispered and leaned over to the other and nodded his head in the general direction of a group of first years studying.

"So? What about them," Albus asked as he looked up at the blond with a bored expression, his quill absent-mindedly drawing spirals on his parchment. The worst part of the day had arrived. After school study sessions in the Library. He only came because he knew Scorpius would get him here one way or the other.

Scorpius pouted and turned back to the group. "They're struggling. Oh, look at them. That one's not even holding her wand right," he said and tsked softly. "Plus, they're making a ruckus. They're distracting everybody. They're distracting you." 

"Hey, don't put this on me. You know very well I'm not studying," Albus fought back.

Scorpius chuckled and stuck his tongue out at him. "I swear, my help is wasted on you," he said and started to pack his things.

"Where are you going," Albus whispered and sat up, reaching out to pause his movements.

"Isn't it obvious. I'm going to go help them," Scorpius replied and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You can go back to the dorms since you're not studying," he said and laughed when the idea of leaving seemed to perk Albus up, and the two started to pack their things. 

"Bye, Al," Scorpius whispered as he got up, waving to his boyfriend as he left the library and made his way to the group of first years.

"Hi, sorry. I don't mean to intrude," Scorpius said softly, and their conversation stopped and looked up at him. By the way that two of them looked up at him, it was clear they knew who he was. Well, who his family was. Sure, it stung, but Scorpius always did his best to leave a good impression on people. Because if people knew that a Slytherin Malfoy could be helpful, it certainly would come in handy one day. 

"My name is Scorpius Malfoy, and I couldn't help but overhear you guys struggling with your work. I was wondering if you'd like some help," he offered and looked down, scanning the pages in front of them. Transfiguration. This would be easy.

The four looked at each other in awe, silently discussing the offer. But it wasn't long until they turned to Scorpius and nodded. "Yes, please," one of them said. A small girl with a Ravenclaw tie and her hair dreadfully tangled up in a messy bun.

Scorpius beamed and sat down on the seat at the top of the table and set his bag down. "Alright, so, what are you guys trying to practice?"

"The snail to teapot one," one of the boys said, his Hufflepuff robes almost slipping off entirely as though he had gotten into a rummage with the tiny snail at the end of his parchment.

Scorpius chuckled and gave them all a reassuring look. "Ah, I remember that one. I almost cried with this one, you know. Took me ages to get right," he said, leaning in to whisper the last part. As though telling them a secret.

"Really," the pixie-haired Gryffindor asked, a glimmer of hope sparkling in her eyes. 

"Really," Scorpius said and pulled out of his wand from his bag and held it up. "So, I'm going to show it to you first, and then we can practice together, is that alright?"

The group nodded, and Scorpius turned to the quiet one in Slytherin colours seated to his left. "May I use your snail, sir?"

The Slytherin looked up at him and blushed, apparently never having been called sir before. "Oh, um, yeah. And it's Jason, by the way," he mumbled and quickly pressed his lips together, nervously.

Scorpius smiled at the kid. Perhaps it was because he was a Slytherin. Or maybe because he was so shy, but Scorpius felt like he just agreed to make it his sole duty to make sure Jason became the confident and proud Slytherin he was meant to be. They were practically brothers after all. But Scorpius wouldn't let himself be biased. Aside from genuinely want to help these kids, they had to learn this Transfiguration quickly so they could leave the Library and restore the peace. 

With a wave of his wand and clear pronunciation of the incantation, Scorpius pointed the wand to the snail and it seamlessly formed into a teacup. 

"See, it's not too hard," he said and returned the cup back to the snail. "Now you guys give it a go."

Scorpius felt like the hour had only been five minutes. The four had gone over the spell many times as Scorpius carefully fixed them. First by helping them hold the wand and practicing the movement. Then by making sure, they said it correctly. To teaching them the real trick of Transfiguration: full concentration on what you want to see, not at what is in front of you. And sure enough, the four seemed to have mastered it. 

"That was amazing. I feel like I can change the whole school into a cup," the Gryffindor- Hannah, said as they left the library. 

Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "Well, I believe in you. Just make sure Professor McGonagall doesn't catch you," he said, and the kids laughed.

"Catch you doing what," A calm voice echoed as the tall woman stepped from around the corner. Peering down at them from over her glasses.

The five of them froze when they first saw her before the First-years rushed to her. "Professor. You used to be the Transfiguration teacher, right? Well, you're not going to believe this," Chloe rambled out while holding onto her blue tie excitedly. 

"Oh, and what would that be, Ms. Chan," Professor McGonagall asked with a soft smile. 

"Scorpius taught us how to do the snail to teacup spell. We're total masters now," Jeremy said, bouncing on his heels.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and looked up at the Malfoy, who still stood there, nervously watching the Headmistress. Her face didn't show anything negative, but there had never been much attention on him from her ever, so just being in the spotlight made him apprehensive.

She turned back to the students and smiled. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that. Mr. Malfoy is an exceptionally bright student. It is nice to see him share his knowledge with others," she said and glanced up at him.

Scorpius felt his face go red. The Headmistress, praising him? The compliment made him smile. His father would certainly hear about this. 

Professor McGonagall soon sent the four on their way to dinner before smiling at Scorpius. "Come, Mr. Malfoy. All that studying must have made you hungry," she said and gestured him to follow.

Scorpius' eyes widened a bit, and he shifted a bit. "Oh, yes, Professor," he said and hurried to catch up to her. 

The two walked in silence for a moment before Minvera started to speak again. "I'm quite surprised, you know. I've heard a lot about that lot. Not the easiest bunch to handle," she said, chuckling softly.

Scorpius was surprised to be blessed with this moment. A moment where the great Minerva McGonagall would laugh in his presence. His nerdy heart was definitely swelling with pride. 

"Well, I can understand that. But, they just needed a good walkthrough about four times, and they got it. The trick was to lift their confidence" Scorpius said with a bright smile. Now, that he thought about it, he did have to correct them a lot, which wasn't that big of a deal. Scorpius always had a lot of tolerance. He got that from being friends with Albus. 

Professor McGonagall smiled and nodded, and the two soon reached the Great Hall, walking in along with the rest of the students. "Ah, patience and kindness. Surprisingly, those are traits for Hufflepuff," she said, and the two stopped once they reached the steps towards the teacher's table.

Scorpius looked up at her and blinked. "Oh, are they," he asked. Now, that he recalled, he supposed they were.

"Yes, they are. Perhaps you're one deep down," she said and smiled, and Scorpius smiled back. She didn't know it, but the Sorting Hat did suggest Hufflepuff for him. Only for a brief moment, though. He had thought the Hat was just teasing him. But perhaps not.

"Thank you, Professor," Scorpius replied.

Professor McGonagall fondly shook her head. "No need to thank me for that. But you can thank me for giving Slytherin ten more points for your efforts. We certainly need more students like you," she said and made her way up the steps.

Scorpius gawked, watching her walk away. How could someone be so generous and cool towards him? Minvera was just amazing. 

As Scorpius hurried to the Slytherin table and sat next to Albus, her words lingering back into his mind. If she thinks he's a Hufflepuff deep down, maybe he was one. Maybe the Sorting Hat got it wrong, and he was meant to be a loyal, patient and kind Badger instead...

 

\---

Scorpius laid there, in his silk pyjamas with his head on Albus' chest. It was this time that he craved the most. Just his alone time with Albus in his bed with the curtains drawn and the world around them asleep. 

Except, that time had past and Scorpius wished that he too was asleep. But he couldn't. The entire day had built up, and he was now mentally dealing with an identity crisis. 

Scorpius Malfoy was a Slytherin. But he was Intelligent like a Ravenclaw, daring like a Gryffindor and kind like a Hufflepuff. But where did that leave Slytherin? Nowhere, that's where.

Scorpius sighed. This sucked. How did the Sorting Hat get him wrong? From all the houses, he put him in the one where he didn't belong. Did he just put him here cause of his father? He knew his dad said he didn't care but did Scorpius just let himself be put in Slytherin to make his life easier?

Scorpius' mind continued to buzz, only freezing when there was movement under him. He looked up, and his eyes met Albus', who had been awoken from his slumber. 

"Sorry," Scorpius whispered and rubbed Albus' chest, trying to get him to go back to sleep so he could keep running circles in his mind like a headless chicken. 

"You're thinking," Albus mumbled, shifting to lay on his side to face him. "What's on your mind,"

Scorpius pouted when Albus spoke and opened his mouth to protest. But he quickly shut it. He knew there was no point lying to Albus. Albus knew him better than he knew himself. It was honestly scary at times, but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I don't think I'm meant to be a Slytherin," Scorpius confessed.

Albus blinked at the statement, and he fully opened his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows together. "What?"

Scorpius shushed him, not wanting to wake up their dormmates before pouting. He nodded and rested his head on his pillow. "Yeah, I mean, I don't know," Scorpius sighed and shrugged, looking down as he frowned.

"Why are you thinking about this all of a sudden," Albus asked and scooted closer, their legs tangling up more underneath the blanket.

Scorpius shrugged against and watched as Albus took his hand and laced their fingers together. 

"All day people kept telling me that I should've been in another house. Like, this morning with Professor Longbottom and how he said I should've been a Ravenclaw. And after coming back, Hagrid said we should ask the Sorting Hat why I wasn't put in Gryffindor. Even Professor McGonagall. Like, in the Great Hall, when we were talking, that's what she said. That I was basically a Hufflepuff. And today isn't the first time people's told me that stuff. I just... I mean," Scorpius bit his lip tightly and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to get overwhelmed. It was fine. No big deal. "I know they meant it as compliments, but it hurts cause it makes me feel out of place. Like, I don't belong in Slytherin. Like, I was put in the wrong house."

"Hey." Albus' whispered, stopping Scorpius from rambling and pulled into a hug. "Relax, will you,"

Scorpius hugged back and hid his face against his shoulder, taking in a deep breath as he relaxed in his arms.

Once Albus pulled away, Scorpius could see the smile on his face. "Well, people can say what they want. But don't listen to them. Listen to me. Someone that's knows you like the back of my hand. Okay? Ready to listen?"

Scorpius silently nodded, and Albus continued. 

"You, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, are the most Slytherin snake that I know. If Slytherin had to pick a face, it'd be you," Albus said and kissed his cheek. Before Scorpius could protest, Albus continued.

"In Herbology, you were resourceful. You knew about the cloth, and you used it to your advantage. That's a Slytherin trait," he said and held up one finger for Scorpius to see. He then put up a second finger. "In Care of Magical Creatures, you were gonna ride Stormswift whether it was the last thing you did. That's straight up ambition and determination. Two Slytherin traits," Albus added on and kissed Scorpius' head. "And three." Albus put up a third finger. "You were looking out for yourself first when you went to help those kids. They were being loud, which distracted you, and you were cunning about it by helping them instead. Which, you know I know you did because you want everyone to know you're not an evil Slytherin. Which, also counts as protecting Slytherin house. So, self-preservation, cunning and protecting your kinship. That's three more. So, today alone, you did everything Slytherin embodies." 

Albus finally paused and pecked his lips. "You, sir," he paused again to kiss him again. 

"Are the most Slytherin," 

Another kiss.

"Person that I have the honour," 

Albus grinned and kissed him again.

"And privilege of ever knowing."

Scorpius laughed into the last and final kiss and finally relaxed. Albus really did know him. "Well, that's true. But don't tell anyone, alright? I need those kids to put in a good word for me if I want to be Prefect," he teased, leaning up to return a kiss.

Albus laughed and fondly shook his head, drawing him closer. "You snake," he teased and nuzzled his hair, yawning as he closed his eyes.

Scorpius smiled and relaxed against the other. His eyes finally managed to flutter closed, and Scorpius drifted off to sleep because even the stealthiest snakes need sleep.


End file.
